Family of teen killed in Roberson Road crash petitions for better lighting

WEST ORANGE  The myriad comments on a petition to bring better lighting to Roberson Road have two threads in common: Sympathy and a desire to bring about change.

“I’m signing because (Johnny) was a dear friend of mine and hopefully the lights will represent his bright smile looking down after those and myself who travel on this road daily,” one person commented. 

It’s been five months since a car accident on the stretch of road claimed the life of 18-year-old Jonathan “Johnny” Riley, a 2015 West Orange High graduate and Tallahassee Community College student. Johnny was driving eastbound along Roberson Road around 3 a.m. Feb. 8 when he lost control of his car, striking a power pole and then a tree before flipping over.  

Three months after Johnny’s accident, there was another eastbound crash — directly across the road from the site of Johnny’s accident. It wasn’t fatal, but it made the Riley family determined to bring about change to prevent future tragedies.

“The community stepped up big time for us and after this second accident we said, ‘enough,’” said Steve Riley, Johnny’s father. “For two accidents to occur with young people under 20, within three months of each other, is pretty dangerous. There are no lights and no sense of speed, so if you take your eyes off the road for a second you’re into a drainage ditch. It’s a small, narrow road with a lot of obstacles that can help you deviate.”

The Rileys began by calling the city of Ocoee to determine where to start the process of getting better lighting along the road installed. Nancy Riley, Johnny’s mother, started a paper petition and went around the neighborhood with her youngest son for a day gathering signatures.

“After a day in the heat going around the neighborhood with a paper petition, we came up with change.org version,” Nancy said. “Once I set it up I sent it to my friends and they signed and sent it to their friends, and it just continued.”

With the help of her friend, Fran Cummings, she set up social-media sites and continued to spread the word. Within 48 hours, the petition had garnered more than 500 signatures. In the 10 days since it was created, it had more than 1,000 at press time.

The largest obstacle has been determining which jurisdiction the road falls under. Roberson Road falls under three jurisdictions: Windermere, Ocoee and Orange County.

“The community stepped up big time for us and after this second accident we said, ‘enough.’” – Steve Riley, Johnny Riley’s father

The county said it is responsible for Roberson Road as it spans from Windermere Road to Wesmere Parkway, while Ocoee is responsible for it from Wesmere Parkway to Maguire Road.

Windermere’s jurisdiction then borders the north side of Roberson.

Moving forward, lighting installation will depend on straightening out who is responsible for the project and planning it from there.

“The officials have been cooperative, it’s just difficult to get the right information for what we need to do to get to the next step — it’s just getting there,” Cummings said. “People from all over Orange County, even people from Lake County who travel this road, say that it needs to be done. If something good could come out of such a tragedy, it would be nice.”

They are in the process of gathering the paperwork and the petition and hope to put themselves on the docket to speak at the July 19 Ocoee commission meeting.

“The comments (community members) posted were incredible from day one,” Nancy said. “The community has been so supportive and amazing to us and to Johnny.”

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].